Come along with me and share the excitement as I explore the world researching freelance articles. These blog posts offer short chunks of travel that you can digest quickly as well as plenty of photos so you get the picture. You'll have some fun, make discoveries, and pick up great ideas and information for your own vacations. Think of me as your canary in the coal mine. For even more travel inspiration, visit my BERKELEY AND BEYOND website at http://www.berkeleyandbeyond.com.
The menu in this acclaimed pizzeria is simple--pizzas, calzones, panini, and salads—that’s it. Order up a Toscana salad with fresh pear and walnuts, along with a spectacular thin-crust pizza Margherita topped with housemade water-buffalo mozzarella, shredded basil, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Or maybe you prefer a calzone stuffed with mushrooms and a mix of cheeses that includes the fresh mozzarella. At Keste Pizza & Vino, gluten free is an option among the forty traditional and contemporary Neapolitan-style pies. The traditional techniques of Neapolitan pizzaiolos are followed here, including cooking in a wood-fired oven, and ingredients are authentic—perhaps explaining why everything is so tasty and the line to get in is so long.
Introduction to Seydisfjordur in Northeast Iceland
Known for its old wood buildings, the cute, artsy town of SEYDISFJORDURis surrounded by mountains. The river Fjardara runs through it, it has several waterfalls, and puffin colonies are nearby. A 17-mile road over the forbidding Fjardarheidi mountain pass connects the town to the ring road and Egilsstaðir. Though Seydisfjordur has a small population of approximately 700 inhabitants, it has a vibrant cultural scene, is home to concerts and East Iceland’s only two movie theaters, and hosts art festivals throughout the summer. World-renowned artist Dieter Roth once had a home and art studio here.
The name of this art gallery/studio space/living quarters is Icelandic for “home.” Owned for a year now by a small group of friends—a local girl and some Danes—and supported financially by the town, this 99-year-old store has been converted and renovated into a space shared by a collective of emerging and established artists from all around the world. One says, “Being in town is magical and makes you want to do something.”
Heima artists' collective in Seydisfjordur in northeast Iceland
LungA School
This high school has an art-based curriculum. Participants live together, cook together, and learn together. Workshops are led by established artists. The LungA art festival takes place in July.
Hotel Aldan
This is a privately-owned little empire has hotels in a converted bank and in a post office and restaurants here and there. Local day trips can be arranged. Reception is in one of Iceland’s oldest stores, which was built in 1920 and is now also a bar-cafe-restaurant. The scene in which Ben Stiller jumps into a car and flees from the ash cloud of a volcanic eruption in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” was filmed in front. L-D daily in summer.
reception cafe at Hotel Aldan in Seydisfjordur in northeast Iceland
●Hotel Aldan
is “The Old Bank”—which was actually originally an acclaimed hotel, before it spent a century as the town bank. Interesting antiques are part of the decor, and some rooms have bathtubs.
●Hotel Snaefell
is “The Post Office”—a 3-story wood house built in 1908.
room at Hotel Aldan in Seydisfjordur in northeast Iceland
Operating on the ground floor, this charming little cafe gets quite crowded. It offers homey food, aromatic coffee, delicious cakes and sweets, and also ale, wine, and other beverages—not to mention superb lamb chops and both reindeer burgers and reindeer pizza. Skaftfell Center for Visual Art Upstairs, this spacious gallery encourages and displays contemporary art.
Einstok beer at Skaftfell Bistro in Seydisfjordur in northeast Iceland
lamb chops and reindeer sliders at Skaftfell Bistro in Seydisfjordur in northeast Iceland
pizza at Skaftfell Bistro in Seydisfjordur in northeast Iceland
Introduction to Faskrudsfjordur in Northeast Iceland
Though there is no actual French settlement in Iceland, the town of FASKRUDSFJORDUR has a long association with French sailors. In 1614, French fisherman came here in sailing ships. Tragically, in the 1800s, more than 400 ships and 4,000 sailors were lost at sea. Street signs are in both Icelandic and French.
French Hospital museum
Moved from another location to this new spot, this experiential museum is designed to look like the town’s original hospital. On the main floor is a reconstructed hospital room. Downstairs replicates the inside of a sailing ship, with bunks plus atmospheric ship creaks and groans and sea sounds; I had the sensation of movement as I walked through it. An intriguing video on a Memorial Wall mimics the ocean, and when you look closely you can see in the waves the names of the sailors who were lost at sea. Outside, an adjacent stream displays stones bearing the names of the schooners that went down.
L’Abri restaurant
I enjoyed a delightful waterside lunch here consisting of cod with white wine sauce and a salad.
exterior of L’Abri restaurant in Faskrudsfjordur, Iceland
Part of the Foss Hotel chain, contemporary hotel rooms featuring old-time details are available upstairs. 24 rooms; includes breakfast.
guest room in Foss Hotel chain in Faskrudsfjordur, Iceland
In addition to arranging a village walk with a local, like I experienced, this free program also has other options, including a home visit. My group visited:
●The Little Chapel
Built in 1880, the town’s oldest house is repurposed into a tiny chapel.
The Little Chapel in Faskrudsfjordur, Iceland
●Kolfreyja Gallery/Galleri Kolfreyia
This handcrafts shop operates inside a beautifully renovated historical house called Tangi.
knitted hats at the Kolfreyja Gallery in Faskrudsfjordur, Iceland
Our guide, 50-year-old local Bertlind, caught us by surprise with her unexpected, very attractive edgy hairdo. She told us that “the sun vanishes in November and we see it again in January.” And she told us again about the “sunshine pancakes” that folks in this remote area eat during those months to cheer themselves. By the end of our walk we had seen some of the 17 streams that run through this village and also a lot of trees, which was of special interest because Iceland is well known for having very few trees.
Laid out along the fjord, the long, narrow, and charming fishing village and commercial center of ESKIFJORDURis one of the oldest towns in Iceland’s East. Movie director Baltasar Kormákur, the son of well-known Icelandic painter Baltasar, filmed “2 Guns,” starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, here. He also filmed “Contraband” and “The Deep” here.
Eskifjordur’s Church and Cultural Centre
Built in the late 1990s, this hexagonal church doubles as a concert hall. When I visited, musician Jon Karason asked us to wear a blindfold and then led us in a musical experience designed to make us “think only about now, not yesterday, not tomorrow, not the volcano, only right now.” We participated with no expectations, listening to guitar music punctuated with an American Indian story about two wolves named Good and Evil, in which the one that wins is the one you feed. Music festivals are held here in summer. The Bleiksá waterfall is just behind the church.
interior of Eskifjordur’s Church and Cultural Centre in Eskifjordur in Iceland
East Iceland Maritime Museum
Strandgata 39b. Daily 1-5pm, Jun-Aug.
Situated inside the oldest house in town, which dates from 1816, this small two-story museum is slathered on the outside with black creosote. It displays a reconstructed general store along with assorted nautical items--ship models, fishing equipment--and other more unexpected items such as a hand-crank candy maker and dental equipment.
exterior of East Iceland Maritime Museum in Eskifjordur, Iceland
interior of East Iceland Maritime Museum in Eskifjordur, Iceland
Small red cabin-huts and larger natural-wood cabins line the fjord’s shore.
Mjoeyri Guesthouse in Eskifjordur, Iceland
This spot fits into my ongoing interest in experiencing places that have an end-of-the-road, edge-of-the-world feeling. In addition to a regular bed, our A-frame red cabin had a loft with mattress on the floor that was reached by a ladder and which children would particularly adore. It was amazingly quiet in our fjord-front cabin, so quiet that we could hear the water lapping at the shore. The pleasant interiors are finished in baby knotty-pine wood. Facilities include a boat-shaped hot tub (called a “hot pot” here) and a sauna,
hot tub at Mjoeyri Guesthouse in Eskifjordur, Iceland
and towel swans greet you atop the European-style, pushed-together twin beds with individual duvets.
guest room at Mjoeyri Guesthouse in Eskifjordur, Iceland
And no key cards here—a hand-knit key fob bell helps you find the key when it is in your pocket. At check out, you just leave the key in the lock as though it were 100 years back in time. Arrangements can be made for touring, including reindeer guiding, cave tours, and ski and winter tours.
Resembling a Norwegian herring house, this seafarers’ lodge has an informal museum upstairs where you can see rooms as they were left in 1890. We tasted Iceland’s infamous fermented shark—which is milder here than in Iceland’s west—as well as dried haddock. Both are still produced in town. We washed it down with a shot of Brennivin--Icelandic schnapps, which in the old days was called “black death.” I put the shark meat in my mouth and chewed it, but in the interest of not causing a volcanic eruption in my tummy I did not swallow it. The dried haddock was ok, and the Brennivin was good enough for me to buy some at the airport to take home.
Randulff’s sea-house/Randulfssjohus in Eskifjordur, Iceland
The cozy, woodsy restaurant is one large open space. It serves a menu of local specialties that includes Icelandic shrimp, brown bread and really-good rolls, reindeer meatballs with a sweet red currant-chili sauce, and white chocolate Skyr yogurt with blueberries. Butter is served atmospherically atop a rock. This restaurant is under the same ownership as the Mjoeyri Guesthouse, and it is just a short, scenic walk between the two.
Introduction to Neskaupstadur in Northeast Iceland
Located on the fjord Nordfjordur, the avalanche-vulnerable town of NESKAUPSTADUR has constructed a variety of defenses, including a long stone wall to catch runaway snow. As in most towns in Iceland, an outdoor geo-thermal public swimming pool is in the center of town, and because the town is also the center for volleyball in Iceland it has two sand courts. Many excursions can be arranged from here, including gourmet foodie tours, kayaking, golfing, trout-fishing, hiking, snowcat tours, and skiing.
Museum House/Nordfjordur Museum/Museum of Natural History
Eglisbraut 2. Daily 1-9pm.
This two-story building is home to local art, various collections of tools, and a large display upstairs of stuffed local wildlife.
exhibit at the Museum House/Nordfjordur Museum/Museum of Natural History in Neskaupstadur, Iceland
This boutique apartment hotel features simple, clean-lined contemporary style. Units have stellar views and private balconies. The inn was reopened in 2014 by the great grandson of the original owner.
●Kaupfelagsbarinn restaurant
Iceland’s slow-food movement is centered in this simple hotel restaurant. The menu focuses on seafood, including sushi, and foodies are welcome. My delicious lunch included:
bread with two spreads: tomato, and arugula-pine nuts with an Italian Pino Grigio
creamy Icelandic Wild Mushroom Soup and Cured Wild Goose with Sour Crowberry Vinaigrette (from the blueberry family)
delicate peach-colored Panfried Arctic Char with Caramel-Butter, sautéed greens, garlic potatoes, and barley with a tasty Italian red Campofiorin
Port-Glazed Wild Reindeer Steak (it tasted ungamey with a hint of liver) with creamy walnuts, freshly picked vegetables, and sweet potato mash
Skyr Mousse with White Chocolate and Fresh Blueberries
In the valley of Nordfjordur, close to town.. You can ride the celebrated Icelandic horse on this lovely farm. You can do a simple ride and experience the horse’s famous tolt gait, stay for a night, or book in for a longer stay that can include riding lessons, herding sheep, a walk in the valley to pick blueberries and crow berries, and more. Guest rooms are available in a renovated barv with a sleeping loft. The owners speak excellent English, and you become a member of their family during your stay.
On my visit, we had afternoon tea with the owners in their home. On the menu were “sunshine pancakes”—crepes served with blueberry preserves and whipped cream—and round donut-hole-like “love balls.” The pancakes are served to celebrate the return of the sun after the sunless few months that occur here every winter.
Introduction to Reydarfjordur in Northeast Iceland
The longest and widest of Iceland’s eastern fjords, the town of REYDARFJORDUR is a regional trade center. The main employer is the Alcoa aluminum smelter.
Icelandic Wartime Museum/Icelandic World War II Museum
During World War II almost 4,000 British, Canadian, Norwegian, and American soldiers were stationed in this town of only 300 inhabitants. This museum operates inside an abandoned freezing plant, and is reconstructed to resemble a hospital camp built by Americans as an Allied base here in response to Norway’s occupation by Germany. Visitors enter a replica barrack and cinema hall to see displayed artifacts. Some original barracks remain outside the museum.
mural in Icelandic Wartime Museum in Reydarfjordur, Iceland
cafe display in Icelandic Wartime Museum in Reydarfjordur, Iceland
World War II barracks at Icelandic Wartime Museum in Reydarfjordur, Iceland
In remote EGILSSTADIR, located in the oldest part of Iceland, the terrain is reminiscent of that in Scotland. The barren-looking ground is covered with low-growing green plants punctuated by plentiful waterfalls and snow-capped mountains . It is a paradise for sheep, horses, and cows. For humans, it offers respite, with winding two-lane highways and long, narrow mountain tunnels traveled by few cars. The deep East Fjords are particularly beautiful. Winters here are long and dark, with only 4 to 5 hours of light in some places.
Bardarbunga
This is the volcano that erupted in 2014. I was
fortunate enough to see the eruption as I flew over it during my visit
then. It is now “vomiting” (as the locals put it) a few times a day.
This spacious shop purveys an
array of top-notch Iclandic art and handcrafts that make wonderful
souvenirs. Items include everything from colorful felted fingerless
gloves to fragile ceramic tea-light containers. My favorite was the
carved-wood reindeer mother and child that fit into each other
interior of Hus Handanna Art & Design in Egilsstadir, Iceland
reindeer art at Hus Handanna Art & Design in Egilsstadir, Iceland
Monster Lake
This point in the Lagarfljot river becomes so deep and wide that it is defined as a lake. It is home to the legendary beast Lagarfljotsormurinn--Iceland’s version of Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster--which was first reported in 1345. “The Story of the Legendary Worm” of Monster Lake dates to the 14th century and is about a young girl who lived on a farm by the lake. She was given a gold ring as a gift. Her mother told her that if she put the ring in a box with the worm, the gold would grow. Of course, she put it in the box and the gold grew, but the worm grew, too. The girl panicked and threw them both into the lake, where the worm became a huge monster and terrorized the villagers. Eventually two farmers decided to kill the monster and get the gold. They bound it, but the monster still was able to put its back up out in the water and now bad luck comes when people see it. In reality, my tour guide has a friend who saw it in 1968. Some elementary school kids saw it in the 1990s, and this viral video on YouTube shows it in 2012. While some people think the video proves the monster’s existence, others think it proves that the monster is just some netting twisting in icy water. An Iceland panel decided by a narrow majority vote that this grainy 2012 footage is legitimate. I think it looks like a cross between a viper and a tape worm. What do you think?
This cultural museum honoring celebrated Icelandic author Gunnar Gunnarsson operates within his former home. It also tells about the circa 1493 Augustinian monastery ruins being uncovered right now in a field across from the house. It is the only cloister in Iceland that is completely excavated, and the most northerly one in Europe.
exterior of Gunnar Gunnarsson Museum at Skriduklaustur in Iceland
●Klausturkaffi
The museum’s small restaurant is also an attraction, and a prime place to stop for a spectacular buffet lunch spread. An a la carte menu is also available. My favorite items were the crowberry spritzer and wild mushroom soup, though the entire array was delicious.
Klausturkaffi restaurant at Gunnar Gunnarsson Museum at Skriduklaustur in Iceland
This greenhouse farm is renowned for bringing organic Modir Jord products—most especially barley--to Icelandic cuisine. It is the largest organic farm in Iceland. As you travel in this area, you’ll also come across their vegetarian burgers and fresh herbs, such as angelica and caraway. Everything at the farm is 100% organic, including local wild berry and rhubarb jams. A recipe for Gabriel’s Breakfast made with barley cereal is on the website.
Vallanes Farm greenhouse in Iceland
When pioneer organic-farm owner Eygló Björk Ólafsdóttir (pictured) welcomed us to his complex, which has been worked since the 1100s, he said, “Good morning and welcome to my kingdom.” When he took over here in 1979, it was a dairy farm. In this country with few trees, he planted one million saplings in shelterbelts and forests, and officially began his organic farm in 1989. A B&B and hostel are also available.
Vatnajokulspjodgardur National Park
Located mostly in the highlands, this park covers almost 14 percent of Iceland. The country’s largest glacier, and Europe’s biggest, is here.
The Golden Circle tour day trip is short in distance from Reykjavik but long on sights—it takes in a trio of the most iconic wonders in Iceland. And in between, you’ll see moss-covered lava fields as well as tiny birch trees that are the only indigenous trees on this island (early Viking settlers brought all their wood for house and boat building as do residents import it today).
North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet
Silfra crack in Thingvellir National Park in Iceland
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is where representatives of all Iceland tribes met in 930 at Lake Thingvillaten, establishing the world’s first parliament. In 1000, the group officially adopted Christianity, and they continued meeting here annually until 1798. In 1944, when Iceland became independent from Denmark, the nation assembled here to celebrate. Also, the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet here, and visitors can walk through the separation caused by them slowly drifting apart (it was seen in Season 4 of "Game of Thrones"). Since most tectonic plate boundaries are underwater, this is an unusual and scenic opportunity. Snorkeling is permitted in the clear water of the Silfra (the crack between the plates), where they can also touch both plates at the same time.
This park is also home to a loo with an amazing view.
Nearby, one of the most impressive waterfalls in Europe roars at an L-shaped bend in the Hvitá River. It falls into the river in two wide stages, and rainbows form in the mist on sunny days. A path leads along the falls to a spectacular viewing area.
●Geysir Hot Springs
In Haukadalur. This geothermal area is sprinkled with steaming water and bubbling mud pools. Geysir is the original geyser and the first one described in print and is the one after which all others are named. At about 10,000 years old, it no longer erupts.
But every 10 to 15 minutes the Strokkur geyser sends up a spectacular plume of hot water and steam about 100 feet into the air. A bubbling up is seen just before it explodes. Be careful with your camera, because the steam can cause problems.
More non-erupting, colorful sulphur pools are in the immediate area, and the Litli Geysir gurgles and hisses beside the path from the visitor center. An unusual activity that is sometimes arranged here is making Geysir bread, or “hot spring bread.” Participants assist a chef in digging up rye bread that has been ‘baking’ underground for 24 hours and also boil eggs in a hot spring.
On some
tours, a stop here is included, allowing you to see how delicious
organic tomatoes are grown indoors year-round with help from bright
lights to mimic the sun, bees to fertilize, and technology and computers
to monitor things.
Fridheimar Greenhouse in Iceland
cafe at Fridheimar Greenhouse in Iceland
This site’s owner says, “We make every day perfect for the tomato, and they turn into a perfect tomato for us.” You’ll want to sample some of the tasty tomatoes and also the small cafe’s specialty tomato soup.
blonde Iceland horse at Fridheimar Greenhouse in Iceland
An adjacent stables is home to Icelandic horses, and horse shows are scheduled.
In Laugarten. If you’re on your own, plan to stop at this Michelin-starred restaurant for lunch. You’ll get to sample the premium local produce made into seasonal specialties. The bread is baked in the ground by hot springs (as described above), and I hear the lobster bisque is divine.